


5 times Tony Kisses Another Avenger and One Time He Kisses Steve

by FreyaS



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5+1 Things, Accidental Kissing, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Jealousy, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Pre-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 04:02:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17399678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreyaS/pseuds/FreyaS
Summary: Tony would like to remind everyone that none of this was his fault.Or, Tony shares a series of kisses with the Avengers Team before finally getting the kiss he wants.





	5 times Tony Kisses Another Avenger and One Time He Kisses Steve

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shout out to [ duckmoles ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckmoles/pseuds/duckmoles) for the beta

The topic came up during a casual team hang out. Drinks and jokes were flowing as everyone caught up.

“I still can’t believe you didn’t call anyone to help with the Mandarin or Killian!” Steve groused as he sipped from a bottle of craft beer. Everyone knew the alcohol did nothing for him, but he claimed he liked the taste. He directed his question at Tony, who lay sprawled on a couch, his once pristine suit casually undone, jacket and tie long discarded and the top buttons of his shirt popped.

“You’re one to talk, I think S.H.I.E.L.D being infiltrated by H.Y.D.R.A rates a little higher than me taking care of loose ends from my past,” Tony quipped back. He held a glass of whiskey loosely from his right hand, his eyes closed and his posture relaxed. Steve snorted from his spot in an armchair across the room but before he could respond, Tony continued, “Oh, and how about the fact that your old friend and war hero James Buchanan Barnes is still alive and almost destroyed the entirety of downtown D.C.?”

Steve flinched at the mention of Bucky’s name, the subject still sensitive as lead after lead led to a dead end. He was saved from answering by Natasha’s interjection.

“A bit hypocritical, Stark. If I recall, when we met, you were ‘nobly’ alienating your friends and dying of palladium poisoning by yourself. At least Steve let me and Sam help.”

She turned to return the fist bump that Sam offered her and Tony opened his eyes to slits to glare half-heartedly at them.

“No fair, you’re not supposed to play favourites, Romanoff. If you spill my secrets, you have to spill his,” he said, gesturing at Steve with the hand holding his drink. The amber liquid inside the glass sloshed dangerously.

Natasha tilted her head in thought and everyone else in the room waited with bated breath.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I gave Cap his first kiss in the 21st century,” she casually revealed, hiding a smile behind her wine glass as the rest of the occupants of room gave various incredulous responses.

“Nice Nat, though I didn’t peg him as your type. I kind of thought you uh- went for someone a bit nerdier.” Clint was the first to speak up. His eyes landed upon Bruce who ducked his head and pretended to fiddle with the label on his bottle.

“Wait- where was I for this?” Sam asked.

“It wasn’t like that guys!” Steve interrupted, his voice raised a little in panic as he tried to correct assumptions before things got out of hand.

“It was for a mission. And it was _not_ my first kiss in any century,” he continued, shooting Natasha a pointed look.

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “I just call it like I see it.”

“Hold on, you kissed him for a mission but all I got was a needle in the neck?”

Everyone turned to look at Tony, who now sat erect on the couch. He set his glass down and waved an accusing finger between Natasha and Steve.

“I don’t think that’s fair at all. I knew you first! Where’s my kiss? Have you kissed Barton too? I was dying, and you couldn’t even kiss me before literally stabbing me?” Tony continued, rising up from the couch as he became more agitated.

His building tirade was cut off as Natasha huffed out an annoyed breath, handed her wineglass to a snickering Clint, and stalked over to Tony. He blinked up at her as she loomed over him, eyes growing wide as she drew close. A second later, she had his face cupped in both her hands, while she laid a surprisingly gentle kiss upon his lips. It lasted for scant seconds before she let go of him and returned to her original spot. She snatched her wine back and downed it in one gulp, muttering loudly about entitled billionaires.

Everyone but Clint, who was struggling not to double over in laughter, sat around in stunned silence. Tony slowly brought a hand to his lips, and then smirked. He shot a glance at Steve, whose face displayed a complicated mix of emotions, most puzzling of which was envy. Tony wondered if Steve was interested in Natasha and was jealous of him.

He was about to make a clever comment, but Sam beat him to it.

“So-”

Natasha held up a hand. “Don’t even think about it, Wilson.”

*~*

Tony liked to remind everyone that the next time it happened, it was a total accident.

It was an unusually warm day in May when Tony whirled into Bruce’s lab and started dragging the startled scientist out the door.

“Come on Bruce, it’s high time we both take a break, get some fresh air, see our beautiful city in the springtime,” he rambled, tugging harder when Bruce finally found his footing and pulled them to a stop.

“Tony what in the world? I was in the middle of some important research! And what is this about going outside? I think the last time someone suggested that, you claimed to be the distant ancestor of Dracula.” Bruce finally succeeded in tugging his arm out of Tony’s hold and stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Well, maybe I was wrong. Sunlight is good for your-uh- brain. Yes, we need it for our brains so let’s not waste any more time. It’ll set in uh- 7 hours,” Tony said, looking down at his smart watch.

“J.A.R.V.I.S, you want to fill me on what Tony’s avoiding?” Bruce asked. He took off his glasses and tucked them into his breast pocket, resigned to the fact that he probably wouldn’t be able to go back to the lab that day.

“I believe he is avoiding Ms. Potts’ visit. She returns to the Tower from Malibu in approximately thirty minutes,” J.A.R.V.I.S helpfully supplied.

“Oh geez, Tony what did you do this time?” Bruce asked, exasperation evident in his voice. He rubbed the stubble on his face with one hand, already regretting that he was involved.

“J, we’ll talk about oversharing.”

Tony turned his attention to Bruce, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, sticking a finger through a burn hole. He was dressed casually in his usual band tee and a pair of ratty jeans. He obviously had just been working in his own lab.

“What makes you think I’ve done anything wrong? Why does everyone always assume _I_ did something?” Tony asked. He adopted an exaggerated pout, looking put upon.

“Oh gee, I wonder why Tony. It’s not like you spend half your time avoiding Pepper when she’s trying to find you for S.I. stuff,” Bruce accused.

“Well, there isn’t any S.I. stuff this time,” Tony snapped, and then he sighed, looking suddenly tired, more his age than usual. “She’s got a new guy out in California and I know she’s going to want to talk about him. Because that’s what _friendly exes_ do.”

Bruce winced and Tony remembered he knew a thing or two about complicated exes. He looked to the side, clearly contemplating his options before he put a heavy hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Fine, let’s go out. You’re right, it’s been a while since we got fresh air, but you better feed me.”

Tony’s whole demeanour lightened, his shoulder lifting under Bruce’s hand. He grinned up at the other scientist saying, “What do you take me for? I have a picnic basket packed. I got that fancy cheese you like from that place on 3rd. Hope you have a Hulk sized appetite.”

Bruce rolled his eyes at the bad joke but followed Tony’s lead.

An hour later, the two men had found a relatively quiet spot in Central Park, a minor miracle. They spread out a checkered blanket on the slightly damp grass and then unpacked the overly full picnic basket. There was fresh blueberries, grapes, and sliced melons; various cheeses with a boggling amount of bread and crackers; small sandwiches with the crusts carefully cut off; and a bottle of wine with glasses.

Bruce raised his eyebrows. “What is this? A first date in a rom com?”

“Nothing but the best for you Bruce,” Tony said, handing the other man a glass of wine. “Indulge me; when I was a wee genius, I always wanted to do things like this. I lived in this big city and never did a damn thing in it. I hope you’re ready for the rowboats next.”

Bruce took the proffered glass and squinted at Tony, not sure if he was serious. Tony felt relaxed in a way he usually wasn’t. He always carried tension, an unspoken need to be ready, vigilant for the next fight. Right now, he let a smile stretch across his face as a warm breeze blew his hair over his forehead. He poked at a sandwich before taking an enormous bite, eyes drooping in pleasure.

They ate and talked science, at certain points getting so excited that they almost spilled wine over their plates of food.

“So, I’m saying, how does the Tesseract even work? You can create weapons with its energy and use it fo-” Tony cut off as he realised that Bruce had a bee on the sandwich he was about to bite. The other man was totally oblivious, his eyes trained on Tony, even as his hand moved the sandwich closer to his mouth.

Tony made a split-second decision, aware of the consequences if Bruce bit into the sandwich and the bee stung him. They didn’t need a Hulk sized problem to make an appearance in the middle of New York City. He reached out to knock the sandwich out of the other man’s hand but overestimated the amount of momentum he needed in his haste. He overbalanced and collided into Bruce, knocking them both backward.

They ended up with Tony on top of Bruce, their legs tangled, and chests pressed tightly together. They both remained frozen, as Tony suddenly realised that their lips were mashed together in the parody of a kiss. Their eyes were locked as they breathed into each other’s mouths. Then Bruce shoved Tony off.

“What the hell Tony? Just because Tasha kissed you doesn’t mean you get to kiss everyone else!” He rubbed at his lips with the sleeve of his shirt.

“I didn’t mean to do that! There was a bee- I was trying to-look, just believe me when I say that was not me making a move!”

As they argued, neither of them noticed the photographer running away from their secluded corner.

The next day, an amused Natasha forwarded them both an article, the headline read, “New Romance for Tony Stark? Iron Man and The Hulk Found on an Intimate Date in Central Park”. There were several photos as well, the most incriminating of which was the accidental kiss.

“Trying to return to your playboy ways eh?” Clint mocked the next time Tony ran into him. He maturely ignored him. The ribbing from their teammates and colleagues continued all week.

The only person who didn’t seem particularly amused was Steve. He gave a terse “hmm” when Clint showed him the pictures but didn’t make any comments to Tony or Bruce. Tony still felt the need to seek him out clarify the situation, but by the time Tony tried, Steve was already on another mission with Sam.

*~*

It was Clint’s fault. It always was, in Tony’s opinion.

Tony was back on the fulltime Avengers’ roster after his break up with Pepper. He had taken a step back from his other responsibilities and the next time an alarm sounded, he found himself teamed with Clint Barton of all people.

They worked well together, both preferring to be in high vantage points during battle. Tony felt comfortable with Barton’s weight so, as they took care of the minor terrorists that had taken over a military base in Georgia, he picked Barton up and put him in the rafters of the hanger bay where they confronted the latest villains.

Tony remained on the ground as Clint fed him intel through their comms. Their enemies were amateurs, who tried to set up a flank as they sent a nervous looking recruit to masquerade as their leader.

“It is I, the leader of the Peach Brothers of White Justice,” the reedy looking kid shouted, his voice shaking as hard as his body.

Tony rolled his eyes behind his faceplate. “First of all, Peach Brothers? You couldn’t have thought of a less sexual sounding moniker? Second, if you’re their leader, then I’m Nick Fury.”

He didn’t wait for the kid to respond and instructed through the comms, “Light ‘em up Hawkeye”. Above Tony, Hawkeye notched an arrow and let it loose. Tiny nodes broke off from the shaft, catching the dozens of Peach Brothers members pouring out from the shadows. The nodes let out an electric pulse, effectively knocking them out.

The rest of the fight was anti climatic, as Tony dealt with the other members throughout the base. He found several hastily rigged bombs that he easily dismantled and caches of guns, but nothing that warranted sending in two Avengers. He wondered why the military personal on the base had felt the need to evacuate rather than contain.

He made his way back to the hanger bay, just in time to watch Hawkeye tie up the last of the Peach Brothers members.

“I got to say Barton, when I came back to the Avengers, I was expecting missions a little more exciting than taking care of incompetent white supremacists,” Tony complained, flipping up his faceplate. “When the message was, and I quote, ‘they have dangerous alien weapons’, I did actually expect to find that.”

Clint finally got up from his crouched position and turned to face Tony.

“Something doesn’t smell right; did you check every room? There has to be something we’re missing,” he said, fingering an arrow in his hand thoughtfully.

Tony sighed. “I checked everything, these guys were amateurs, maybe everyone got a little lazy and wanted to see us in action.” He shrugged as much as he could in his armour, ready to dismiss this and head back to debrief. He was startled when Clint abruptly expanded his bow, and he turned, much too slowly, to catch the nervous looking kid with an experimental Tesseract gun in his hands.

“Son of a bitch,” Tony said, as he was blasted backwards.

The last thing he saw was an arrow lodged in the kid’s throat.

Tony awoke to feel of something pressed firmly against his lips, and fingers pinching his nose. He gasped as he felt air forced past his lips, and then spluttered at the disgusting taste of garlic in his mouth. He shoved at the hard chest in front of him and pushed himself up, gagging.

“I save your life and that’s the thanks I get?” Clint said from where he was sprawled on the ground next to Tony.

“ _Saved_ me? More like you tried to murder me with whatever you had for lunch!” Tony spat out. He took heaving breaths and then winced when the action caused his ribs to protest. His entire body felt like a giant bruise.

“What the hell happened?”

“Well, we found out why we got called in for back up. These guys got their hands on some experimental S.H.I.E.L.D weapons. Luckily, they only got one figured out by the time we arrived. Turns out the kid was the leader and he shot you with one. I shot him back,” Clint said. Tony flinched as he remembered watching the kid go down.

“Huh, we must be losing our touch, missing something like that. Did we get the rest of them rounded up?”

“Yep, and I got the weapons contained. You were out for a few minutes, but your armour can take quite a punch,” Clint said. He pointed to a small pile of weapon in the middle of the trussed up unconscious bodies.

“Okay, care to explain to me why you thought trying to give me CPR would help me wake up?” Tony asked. He had a gauntleted hand pressed to his mouth, his entire face a mask of distaste.

“I panicked, figured I’d give it a try. Get over it, not like the first time you’ve been smooched by a teammate.”

Tony groaned. “Let’s just… deal with this and never ever mention it again.”

Unfortunately for Tony, they’d had their entire conversation over live comms and he arrived back at the Tower to find Natasha and Sam listening to the recorded conversation in the communal living room.

Sam was howling with laughter while Natasha was struggling to suppress her own giggles.

“I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that Stark got laid out by a kid or that Clint took the chance and went for his own kiss,” Sam said, wiping his eyes.

“Okay, that is strictly classified. Should we really be using mission sensitive information for amusement?” Tony asked, as he grabbed the phone replaying the audio. He tapped at it angerly until it shut off and glared at the two offenders.

“What’s going on here? Oh hey, Tony, you just get back from your mission?” asked a new voice. Steve entered the room, obviously fresh from a round in the gym. The neck of his shirt was drenched with sweat and his hair was matted down across his forehead. Tony bit the inside of his cheek before he said anything that would creep the other man out.

“Oh man, Steve, you have to listen to this,” Sam crowed, grabbing for the phone out of Tony’s lax grip. “Barton managed to lay a kiss on Stark in their last mission.”

Steve’s whole demeanour shifted. His eager expression shuttered, and his mouth pulled down into a frown. Tony’s heart sank, unsure why Steve looked so disapproving but desperate to clear up the mess at least.

“It wasn’t a kiss, it was a badly thought out attempt at CPR. He almost killed me with his breath.” He said weakly. His explanation was ruined by the reappearance of Clint, who had changed out of his uniform and taken a shower.

“Aw baby, how could you reduce what we shared down to just CPR?” Clint asked, making kissy faces at Tony, who shot him a disgusted look.

Steve stood awkwardly for another few moments, his gaze darting between Tony and Clint, before he began to back away, “Well, it sounds like it was an eventful mission. Um. I’m glad you- I mean I’m glad neither of you were hurt. I’m gonna go-” he jerked his hand behind him and then left the room.

“Well that was awkward,” Clint said.

*~*

Tony will admit that it was entirely his fault the fourth time it happened. But in his defence, he had been awake for over seventy-two hours.

After a frustrating twelve hours of stalled progress in his lab, Tony made his way up to the communal kitchen to make himself a pot of coffee. His eyes felt gritty and dry, his hair was a greasy mess, and his goatee needed a touch up. He’d been wearing the same clothes for a few days and he surreptitiously sniffed his arm pit and then grimaced. He needed caffeine, maybe some food, and a shower. Luckily it was only five in the morning, so the kitchen should be empty.

He was immediately proven wrong when he entered and found Steve and Sam conversing over cups of water. Tony groaned tiredly but marched in, too exhausted to care if they judged his appearance. The two men paused as they watched Tony grope for a cup and then press buttons on his fancy coffee maker. They wisely didn’t make any comments.

“Anyway, think I could put a heftier jet pack on my wings? I’m just saying, I’ve seen War Machine and Iron Man take off in a few seconds while I’m still struggling to get off the ground,” Sam said, continuing his conversation with Steve.

Tony twitched and paused, grabbing the filled pot of coffee and haphazardly sloshing out half its contents into a giant mug. He turned to face the two men, draining half the scalding hot coffee in his cup in one gulp.

“Listen birdbrain, you’re asking to achieve the same speeds as Rhodey and me? We’re protected by our suits, you’d be dead if you tired the same without a suit of your own. The armoured suit division of our team is already too crowded. I’ll give you a little upgrade, maybe add something to make you shine a little brighter on the roster,” Tony said. He finished the second half of his cup’s contents before taking the top off the coffee pot and tipping the rest of it down his throat. He ignored the horrified faces of the other men and stuck the pot back under the coffee machine’s drip.

“I suppose we could do tests to see what speeds an unprotected and not enhanced human body could endure, but I’d probably suggest that Cap here, be the test subject, he could probably handl-” Tony paused, his eyes growing wide, he sprang from where he was sprawled across the countertop behind him and rushed over to Sam and Steve.

“That’s it! That’s what I’ll do,” he shouted into Sam’s face, grabbing the startled man. Tony meant to kiss the other man on his cheek, but his coordination was non-existent. He pressed his lips half on Sam’s own but didn’t even notice and stumbled out of the room, back towards his lab.

He missed as Steve squeezed his water glass so hard that it shattered in his hand.

Sam raised his hands. “Dude, it wasn’t my fault.”

*~*

No one needed to explain the fifth time it happened.

“Stark, I have learned that it a sign of comradery to kiss you before battle,” Thor said the next time the Avengers assembled to follow a lead on Loki’s sceptre. He grabbed Tony and lifted him up, armour and all, and laid a heavy kiss on Tony’s faceplate.

Tony shoved himself out of Thor’s arms and groaned, his voice distorted by his armour, “That’s not how it is, Point Break, but thank you for only kissing my suit instead of me.”

“Quiet with the chatter, we have to focus,” Steve interrupted through the comms.

The mission ended up being a false lead and Thor returned to Jane.

“Hey Shellhead, think we can have a talk later?” Steve asked Tony as he stripped off his suit at the Tower.

Tony didn’t hesitate before nodding, eager to clear the air.“Sure thing Cap, just let me know when and where.”

*~*

“So, before we start, I just want to say, none of this is my fault,” Tony began. He’d invited Steve to his floor at the top of the Tower, too anxious to leave it to Steve to decide when and where they would meet.

“It’s been a series of misunderstanding really. I never meant to kiss anyone and most of them can’t even be called kisses! What I’m trying to say is, I’m not attempting to seduce the team or become a playboy again. You don’t have to give me a lecture on fraternization,” Tony continued. He hardly paused for breath, pacing in his living room, a hand running through his hair, grabbing the strands in agitation.

He was pulled to a stop by a gentle hand on his arm. He looked down to find Steve leaving forward on the couch, an earnest expression on his handsome face.

“Tony, no, I’m not here to give you a lecture. I’m here to- well, I’m here to apologize. I don’t think I’ve been very fair to you lately.”

Tony joined Steve on the couch, not breaking Steve’s hold on his arm. He found the touch grounding and comforting as he processed Steve’s words.

“So you don’t think I’m a- a slut for kissing everyone? And you’re jealous of me because Nat kissed me?” he clarified.

Steve’s brows furrowed in confusion, “Why would you think I would be jealous of you?”

“I don’t know, you guys seem close after all the stuff in D.C. maybe _your_ kiss meant something,” Tony muttered, trying to leave the bitterness out of his voice. It had always been obvious to anyone with eyes that he had a thing for Steve Rogers, but it was clear that Steve’s interests lay elsewhere.

“Tony, I don’t understand? Nat and I are friends. In fact, she tries to set me up on dates,” Steve blurted out. His hand gripped Tony’s forearm hard and Tony tried not to wince. He didn’t want Steve to stop touching him, but Steve’s words stirred a different kind of panic inside of him. Nat and Steve might not be an item, but Steve clearly had options.

“Oh. I didn’t know that. Well. Glad we cleared the air. I’m not trying to hook up with our teammates, neither are you. And Nat’s your matchmaker. I should see if she can set me up as well,” Tony joked lamely. He still didn’t pull himself out of Steve’s grip.

“Tony, no, I don’t want Nat to set me up. That isn’t the point,” Steve said, his tone short and clipped, irritation evident in his voice. He continued, “I don’t want Nat to set you up either. That’s my point Tony. I’ve been acting like a lout to you and I wanted to tell you why.”

Tony felt hope rise in his chest, despite his best efforts; he felt like he and Steve were on the precipice of a relationship changing moment.

“Tony, I’ve been a real dick lately because I’ve been jealous. I saw and heard about all the times the rest of the team kissed you and I- I’ve wanted that to be me. I know that you still aren’t over Pepper, and hell, maybe you aren’t into fellas, but I think you deserved to know that it’s not your fault,” Steve said in a rush. He finally let go of Tony’s arm and looked down at his open palms, looking both relieved and vulnerable.

Tony struggled to breathe, to form coherent sentences. _Talk, God damn it_ , he urged his mouth, but his mind was too filled with a cacophony of confusing emotions. He was shocked, that his feelings were reciprocated. He was bewildered that he had missed the signs of Steve’s interests. He was elated, knowing that Steve had been jealous and not angry at him. Yet he couldn’t get one word out of his frozen lips.

Steve clearly took his silence as rejection, because he began to get up. “I’m so sorry I sprung this on you. I know this is a lot of take in. Probably unwelcome as well. But I wanted to make sure you knew that I wasn’t angry at you.”

Tony scrambled to his feet as Steve started towards the elevators, tackling the bigger man and knocking them both off their feet.

“Wait! Wait, I’m sorry, I- I couldn’t find the words. I’m over Pepper. It’s over between us. And- and there isn’t anyone else I would rather kiss than you,” Tony said into Steve’s back. The body beneath him was shaking but silent and he backed away, giving Steve room to turn around and face him. They both stared at each other, the weight of their words settling in.

“You want to kiss _me_?” Steve asked. Tony was still straddling him, and he watched in fascination as Steve’s face turned red and his eyes grew wide in wonder. Steve’s face was a tangle of emotions, happiness, surprise, and a shy hopefulness making him look younger.

“I do, and I think I heard you say that you might want to kis-” Tony’s words were cut off as Steve grabbed him by the back of his head and crashed their lips together. Their lips met at an awkward angle and their teeth clashed a bit painfully, but it was still the best kiss Tony had ever had.

*~*

Several weeks later, the Avengers team met up again for drinks.

“Stark, kissed anyone new lately?” Natasha asked from the bar as she mixed a drink for Bruce.

Before Tony could answer, Steve came up behind him and tilted his chin up, laying a sweet kiss on his open mouth. Natasha watched the exchange with approval as the rest of the team groaned, having caught the new couple making out throughout the Tower.

The kiss was interrupted by Clint.

“So, does that mean Nat wins the betting pool?”

 


End file.
